Came across this from 2009: Senior Qaeda leader directs Iraq operations from Damascus w/ protection from Mukhabarat

A senior al Qaeda leader and ideologue who was based in Pakistan's tribal areas has taken control of al Qaeda in Iraq's organization in Syria and is operating from the capital, Damascus. Sheikh Issa al Masri is thought to have entered Syria in June 2009 and has been consolidating control of the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq to refocus the group's efforts to destabilize the Iraqi government. Sheikh Issa was detained by Pakistani security forces in January 2009, according to the Asia Times . It is unclear if he escaped or was released from Pakistani custody, US military and intelligence officials told The Long War Journal . After leaving Pakistani custody, Sheikh Issa traveled to Iran prior to entering Syria, according to a report in Corriere della Sera , an Italian newspaper. Al Qaeda has an extensive network inside Iran which receives support from the Islamic Revolutionary ...